Press for molding concrete blocks and the like



F.' W. KIDDIE. PRESS FOR MOLDING CONCRETE BLOCKS ND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15| 1920.

Patented Mar. 8, 192] 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

. @H u.. 1 .Tk Q h m f.. n m J m M7 3 l 7/ JW m LILO; ,m I. n fl m F. w. Kmmf. vPRESS FOR MOLDING CONQRETE BLOCKS AND THE LIKE.

i APPLICATION FILED JUNE i5, 1920.

L Patented Mar. '8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- PRESS FOR MOLDING CONCRETE BLOCKS ANYD THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED IuNE I5. 1920.

v1,37 1 1 '74, Patented Mar. 8, 1921 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Agfa/34 l f fu I I I L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WEBSTER KIDDIE, 0F LEAMINGTON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WING-ET LIMITED, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. s, 1921.

Application filed June 15, 1920. Serial No. 389,230.

Z 0 all whom t may concern f Be it known that I, FREDERICK Nar-erna Krnnin, a subject lof the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 26 Binswood avenue, Leamington, in the county of Varwick, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Presses for Molding Concrete Blocks and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine which is specially adapted to the rapid production of evenly pressed and molded blocks, either by light hand labor or by other power, and more particularly for the production of concrete blocks for building purposes.

The machine is of the type in which a prepared plastic, or semi-plastic, mass of prepared material is placed in an open mold and inserted under a plate or plunger which is caused to descend into the mold and to rise therefrom, after which the mold is withdrawn from that position and the pressed mass removed.

According to my improvements, the mold box is mounted on the ends of rocking arms operated by means of a lever and is lifted thereby in and out of its position for pressing in a suitable frame, thus eliminating risk of damage to the inclosed mass from shocks during the change of position and obviating the use of springs, rollers and other devices which are liable to become clogged.

When in position for pressing, this box restsupon adjustable conical steel points fixed in the bed-plate. and corresponding sockets may be provided under the box so as to insure its exact position under the press after each operation.

This box is provided with hinged sides or doors which are locked by catches.

A ram-plate or plunger is arranged to fit into the open top of the mold box and is controlled by strong vertical rods affixed to the plate passing throughV 'suitable guide holes in the frame.

To these vertical guide rods, or to the i central one only` is aiiixed a horizontal slide inclosing a rectangular sliding block having a central horizontal hole transverse to the slide, through which is passed a strong v rotatable pin.

This pin projects and. is held eccentrically in a driving wheel or disk by which it is carried around in a circular path, carrying with it the slide-block which adapts itself within the slide and conveys thereto a direct vertical pressure at all times of the stroke, which direct pressure is communicated to the ram-plate and the material within the box, thus insuring a perfect evenness of the resulting block and avoiding the risk of its becoming tapered in shape through uneven filling.

The driving wheel or disk may have hand grips to facilitate operation and may be connected with reducing gear to gain power.

The hand-wheel is detachable and any suitable power may be applied as an alternative. Y

If ornamental face blocks or slabs are desired, suitable plates may be inserted over the top of the mold.

If bricks or small blocks are required, several mold boxes and plates can be used at each operation. I find it convenient, however, when half blocks are to be molded to proceed as follows: The front Wall of the mold box is slotted vertically with a closed thin slot, and this is occupied by a sliding plate or slide which fits it loosely. This. slide can be pushed in so as to extend across the box to. the opposite wall, and is long enough to leave a piece projecting` at the front, where it may have a hole or be otherwise adapted to serve as a handle.

The ram may have a thin strip fixed transversely upon its under surface,'c0rrespond ing exactly with the position of the slide.

The strip and the slide are central in the length of the mold box for forming two half blocks at one and the same time. The strip may be held to the ram by thumb screws passedv into it from the upper surface.

The present improvements will be d'escribed with reference to a convenient form of my invention as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figures l and 2 are front and side elevations and Fig. 3 a part plan view, vrespectively, and Fig. 4 is a detail.y Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a modification for producing two small blocks, instead of one large one. Y

Referring'to Figs. 1 to 4,' a framel is provided, supportedon wheels or casters 2.

Amold-box 3 is, mounted on hinges 4, 4

at the ends of four equal rocking arms 5, 6. Two of these arms 5 are keyed radially at their otherl ends upon a bar 7 which is journaled across the frame .and is rotatable on its axis to a limited extent by means of a lever 8 keyed thereon. The other two arms 6 are free to oscillate in the same way upon another bar 9 set parallel with bar 7 at the same level and at such a distance that the arms 6 are always` parallel with the arms 5 and follow their motion so that the mold-box 3 is always held level upon its hinges.

The outward and inward swings of the lever S'thus carry the mold-box without any jar or shock in an arched curve into the po! sitions for emptying and filling and for pressing respectively (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2).

In its inner position the box 3 rests upon adjustable conical steel studs 10 fixed in the bed plate or platform 11, and corresponding sockets 12 are provided under the box so as to insure its exact position under a ram-plate hereinafter described for each pressing operation.

The box 3 is provided with hinged sides 38L and front 3b"all of which are locked by two catches 13 hinged on the sides 3a. This catch 13 is clearly shown in plan in F ig. 4. The fastening depends also upon hooks 14 mounted on the edge of the front plate so as tol overlap and therefore retain the side 3a in upright position so long as the hinged front 3b is also upright. The catch 13 is an arm carrying an inclined boss 13a which wedges itself upon the topmost hook 14 (or it might do so direct upon the front 3'), if preferred) when the catch 13 is swung down into a'horizontal position as drawn.

The ram-plate 15 is mounted upon a plunger rod 16 and controlled by strong rods 32 xed vertically upon the ram-plate and slidable in guide holes formed in long lugs 33 integral with ,the frame 1.

The plunger rod 16 Vhas an upper part 16, in line with it but interrupted in continuity by a slide box 19 set horizontally and having central vbosses 19a with sockets into which are fixedthe ends of the portions 16 and 16a respectively. The upper Y portion 16l extends into a guide sleeve 21 which is a part of an upper and removable portion 22 of the` frame l. The slide-box 19 inclosesy a rectangular sliding block 23 having a central horizontal hole, transverse to the slide, through which is passed a strong pin 25 rotatableltherein which projects and is held eccentrically in the hubv 26 ofV a gearrwheel27rotated by a pinion 17 integral with a hand-wheel 29l bearing a handle 28.

The pin 25 is thus driven around in `a :circular path,` at right' angles to its axis, and carries with itv the slide-block 23 which "adjusts itself 'within the slide box 19 and conveys thereto a direct vertical pressure during every part of the stroke, which direct pressure is communicated to the ramplate 15 and to the material in the box 3, thus insuring perfect evenness in the resultingblock and avoiding the risk of its becoming tapered in shape through inequality of pressure.

To operate the machine, the mold box 3, being in the outer position, is filled with the prepared material and roughly leveled with a float. It is next swung underneath the ram-plate 15 by manipulation of the lever 3, and the gear wheel 27 is rotated by means of the handle 28 vof the wheel 29. This causes the ram-plate 15 to descend to its lowest position within the box 3 and then to rise clear of it when the stroke is completed. The box is then swung back by the lever 8 to its outer position, the catches 13 are thrown back, the sides 3 and ends 3l swung open and the pressed block removed on a pallet or special carrier. A fresh pallet is placed in the box which is vthen ready for a further supply of material. The hand-wheel 29 may be removable and the pinion 17 may`be-rotated by any suitable mechanical power.

y If bricks or small blocks are required several mold-boxes and ram-plates can be vmounted to press simultaneously at each stroke. A more convenient device for molding half blocks is shown in Figs. 5 to 8 which illustrate the mold-box and ram upon a larger sca-le, other parts of the machine being omitted. The ram 15 is providedA with a thin strip 33a fixed transversely Vupon its under surface by wing nuts 34. The moldbox is slotted vertically in its front wall with a closed slot, and this is occupied by a slide-plate 35 which extends completely across the mold-box, its position coinciding with that of the strip 33a. The plate 35 is longer than the width of the box, and its projecting end is shaped to form a handle as seen in Fig. 8. In operation, the strip 33a (which maybe tapered'to a narrow edge) sinks into the top of the material, meeting (or nearly meeting) the plate 35, and thus two separate (or easily separable) blocks are molded simultaneously. It might be possible in some cases to dispense with the strip 33a.` 1f desired, more than one of these slide-plates may be used in different posi.- tions in the mold-box.

1 claimfv 1. AV block pressing machineA having means for liftinga mold in or out of the position foi pressing 'consisting 'of four equal rocking arms, eachof which'is hinged atV onel end to thesaidV box and eachof ceive the studs, and a slidable plate adapted to be inserted through a Wall of the mold box and Withdrawn after use.

2. A block pressing machine having means for lifting a mold in or out of the position for pressing consisting of four equal rocking arms, each of which is hinged at one end to the said box and each of which has its opposite end pivotally supported, means for pivotally mounting the arms, a bed plate having studs thereon, the said box having sockets in its bottom to receive the studs, a slidable plate adapted to be inserted through a Wall of the mold box and Withdrawn after use, a ram coacting with the mold box and facing strips on the under surface of the ram.

3. A block pressing machine having means for lifting a mold in or out of the position for pressing consisting of four equal rocking arms, each of which is hinged at one end to the said box and each of Which has its opposite end pivotally supported, means for pivotall'y mounting the arms, a bed plate having studs thereon, the said box having sockets in its bottom to receive the studs, a slidable plate adapted to be inserted through a Wall of the mold box and Withdrawn after use, a ram coacting With the mold box, facing strips on the under surface of the ram, means for imparting vertical motion and pressure to the ram, comprising upright guides and rods, a horizontal slide box having a perforated slide block, a rotatable pin in the slide block at right angles to its axis, and a disk in which the pin is eccentrically fixed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

l FREDERICK WEBSTER KIDDIE. 

